Arts N Drafts Comes to Brewerie this Weekend

Looking for something to do this weekend? Melissa Bruno offers some pretty darn good reasons to head to the Arts N Drafts festival.

Founder Andrew Kauffman is pleased to announce the seventh bi-annual Arts N Drafts Festival kicking off on Thursday, April 7 and running until Saturday, April 9.

The event will be held at the Brewerie in the historic Union Station and will feature an array of local artists' works as well as enough music to satisfy even the biggest music enthusiast.

According to Kauffman, "The festival will showcase over 30 local artists with works ranging from paintings and sculptures to photography, charcoal and mixed media."

Even more exciting, the artists will be on hand to discuss their art, the method behind their madness, and how much time and effort actually goes into their creation. Additionally, much of their artwork will be for sale, with prices varying—yes, you will actually be able to afford some of the pieces, which can be as low as $25.

Alongside of all of the great art, over 30 local bands will be on hand to serenade attendees throughout the night. Roger Montgomery, Matty B. and the Dirty Pickles, Eric Brewer and Friends and Mystic Flotation Device are a few of the bands that have played to the Arts N Drafts crowd in the past. (For a full line-up of this year's bands, see below).

And if local art and bands weren't enough of a reason to check out this festival, the Brewerie offers an assortment of handcrafted draft beer and a host of local wines and bottled micro-brews.

According to Brewerie Bartender Justin Tapper, "The Brewerie is a place of supportive locality. We take pride in what our wonderful region around us has to offer. The amazing wines from North East, and of course, the ever-growing community of beers here in Erie. We have about 25 different ever-evolving styles of drafts on tap year around. We also support what other local brewers are doing. It is pretty much the feeling of a tight-knit family vibe."

Recalling how the event got started four years ago, Brewerie owner Chris Sirianni said, "[Kauffman] is an artist and a beer fan, while I'm a beer guy and an art fan, so it seemed like a perfect partnership."

Festival founder Kauffman created the Arts N Drafts Fest so that up-and-coming local artists – who otherwise may not have the means to show off their work – would be able to display their work in a gallery setting.

Kauffman said that he wanted to, "Show everyone that you can do anything you want to in life, no matter what the circumstances are."

As a self-proclaimed Erieite, Kauffman is a self-taught landscape photographer who has spent over 15 years traveling nationally and internationally, photographing everything from the rainforests of Costa Rica to the bayous of Louisiana to the volcanoes of Hawaii.

However, much of his focus has been on photographing the continental United States. During his travels, Kauffman has taken in the magnificence of just over 42 states, and during the last five years, Kauffman has focused his efforts on his hometown of Erie, capturing local events, landscapes and the beauty of Presque Isle sunsets...

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